Tools

In the aftermath of World War II, a German teenage girl is forced to take care of her siblings when their Nazi parents are rounded up. The plight of a blond-haired Nazi mdchen and a young Jewish man stealing through the forest by night might lead us to expect sentimental revelations, but Cate Shortland's film is excellent because it avoids such predictable comforts. The title character (Saskia Rosendahl) may be a plucky, attractive teenager but she is a frightening piece of work, well drilled in the Hitler Youth slogans she learned at camp and at home. Although beautifully photographed in Super 16mm, this is not a typical war film. The focus is less on action than on interior psychological drama.